Below you’ll find breaking news as well as reports, updates on our campaigns, and victories.
If you are a member of the press, please reach out to [email protected]
Press Release
Satellite evidence in Burundi supports witness accounts of mass graves
Compelling new satellite images, video footage and witness accounts analyzed by Amnesty International in a new briefing strongly indicate that dozens of people killed by Burundian security forces in December were later buried in mass graves.
January 27, 2016
Press Release
Burundi: Extrajudicial executions and systematic killings must be investigated
Security forces systematically killed dozens of people, including by extrajudicial execution, on the single bloodiest day of Burundi’s escalating crisis, Amnesty International has found.
December 22, 2015
Press Release
Burundi: International community must act immediately to end human rights crisis
The international community must take urgent steps to address the political crisis in Burundi and restore full respect for human rights as the country moves dangerously to the brink of civil war, said Amnesty International following a special session of the United Nations Human Rights Council.
December 17, 2015
Press Release
UN Security Council must press Burundi authorities to tackle human rights crisis
This afternoon’s United Nations Security Council meeting on Burundi’s ongoing political and human rights crisis must include a clear and robust call on Burundian authorities to end the crisis, address serious human rights concerns and ensure people’s safety, Amnesty International said.
November 9, 2015
Report
Use of Force – Guidelines for Implementation of the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by law enforcement officials
From the streets of Ferguson, Missouri to the favelas of Brazil, the police use of force and firearms makes global headlines when it turns fatal.
September 2, 2015
Report
“Just Tell Me What to Confess To” Torture and Ill-Treatment by Burundi’s Police and Intelligence Service Since April 2015
Beatings with iron bars and acid burns are among an array of torture techniques used by Burundian security forces to extract “confessions” and silence dissent.
August 24, 2015
Report
Braving Bullets – Excessive force in policing demonstrations in Burundi
Burundian authorities repressed demonstrations as if they were an insurrection, and now the country appears to be on the verge of conflict, Amnesty International warned in a new report, Braving Bullets – Excessive force in policing demonstrations in Burundi, released today.
July 22, 2015
Report
State of the World 2014/2015
This has been a devastating year for those seeking to stand up for human rights and for those caught up in the suffering of war zones. Governments pay lip service to the importance of protecting civilians. And yet the world's politicians have miserably failed to protect those in greatest need. Amnesty International believes that this can and must finally change.
February 25, 2015
Report
Annual Report: Burundi 2013
Republic of Burundi Head of state and government Pierre Nkurunziza The cycle of impunity remained unbroken and the government did not fully investigate and prosecute extrajudicial executions from previous years. Promising signs that the government would establish a Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 2012 faded progressively throughout the year. Human rights defenders and journalists faced repression because of their work. Background The ruling party, the National Council for Defence of Democracy-Forces for Defence of Democracy (CNDD-FDD), was able to govern without any effective opposition engagement. The ruling party and ADC-Ikibiri, the coalition of opposition parties which withdrew from the 2010…
May 16, 2013
Press Release
Amnesty International Demands Release of Prominent Lawyers Jailed in Burundi on Spurious Charges
Contact: Suzanne Trimel, 212-633-4150, [email protected] (New York) -- The Burundian government should immediately release two prominent lawyers jailed in an ongoing dispute with the government, Amnesty International said today, as a national lawyers' strike continues over the jailing of one of the lawyers. Isidore Rufikiri, head of the Bar Association, was arrested on Wednesday after speaking at a rally in the capital, Bujumbura. Burundian lawyers are on strike this week to call for the release of their colleague, Suzanne Bukuru, who was arrested July 15 on charges of "complicity in espionage" after speaking to French journalists about a case of…
July 28, 2011
Report
“A Step Backwards” – Torture and Other Ill-Treatment by Burundi’s National Intelligence Service
“A Step Backwards” – Torture and other Ill-Treatment by Burundi’s National Intelligence Service
March 26, 2011
Report
Annual Report: Burundi 2010
Head of state Pierre Nkurunziza Death penalty abolitionist for all crimes Population 8.3 million Life expectancy 50.1 years Under-5 mortality (m/f) 177/155 per 1,000 Adult literacy 59.3 per cent The government suppressed the rights to freedom of expression and association by harassing or limiting the activities of some human rights defenders, journalists and opposition political parties. High levels of rape and other sexual violence against women and girls persisted. A new penal code abolished the death penalty and introduced other positive reforms. However, it also criminalized same sex sexual relationships. Disputes continued over land ownership in the context of the…
March 19, 2011